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“It really is as crazy as it sounds”: Iowa Republicans Eviscerate Hart’s Attempt To Overturn Election

by | Mar 25, 2021 | Campaigns, Congress, Party Politics

Iowa is no stranger to national media attention. Every four years, every reporter and their brother shows up to cover the first in the nation Iowa Caucuses. However, recently we’ve seen some different national media coverage, specifically Rita Hart’s efforts to overturn the election results in Iowa’s Second Congressional District.

Today, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Secretary of State Paul Pate, and Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann hosted a press conference to talk about Hart and National Democrats’ controversy they’ve created.

“Rita Hart isn’t just asking Congress to overturn a state-certified election. She’s asking Democrats to throw out Iowa law in deciding which votes to count. She actually asked Congress to quote ‘depart from Iowa law,‘” said Governor Reynolds.

 

“It really is as crazy as it sounds. I’m appalled, and I believe that Iowans are just as appalled,” she went on.


From the perspective of those behind the podium, Iowa serves as a ‘canary in the coal mine’ of sorts when it comes to Democrats’ long-term goals of federalizing elections and moving the decision-making power from the state voters to Washington DC. The Governor specifically mentioned HR 1 as an example of those plans and goals.

Secretary of State Paul Pate, the state top election official, took the opportunity to focus on the fact that Harts’s campaign pursued the partisan House Administration Committee route rather than the Independent Iowa court process.

“Every step of the way, Iowa’s process is either bipartisan or nonpartisan,” Pate said. “My office and the Iowa courts were prepared to hear Hart’s challenge, but she decided to skip a neutral arbiter for a Washington political process with Nancy Pelosi as the judge.”

Pate also explained the election canvas and the recount process were open, transparent, and, most importantly bipartisan.

“Bipartisan teams of precinct election officials staffed the polling places and processed the absentee ballots. The recount boards in all 24 counties were bipartisan, comprised of one representative from the Miller-Meeks campaign, one representative from the Hart campaign and a third member who was agreed upon by the other two representatives or appointed by a district court judge. The Hart campaign signed off on the recount procedures and results in all 24 counties. Let me repeat that, the Hart campaign signed off on the recount procedures and results in all 24 counties.” stated Secretary Pate.

Chairman Kaufman took the podium to note that while the process might technically be legal, it was not moral. Kaufmann, who lives in the Second District, was disgusted at the idea that a “San Fransisco left-winger” (Pelosi) and Iowa Rep. Cindy Axne, both supportive of Hart’s effort, could trump his vote for Miller-Meeks.

 “Rita Hart and her co-conspirators, including Cindy Axne, need to understand that Iowans will remember this attempt to disenfranchise their votes. Departing from Iowa law is not a fair election process, rather it’s an attempt to steal an election in a power grab by Washington, D.C. Democrats.”


Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, part of the bipartisan group of Iowa officials to certify the results, issued a statement today after the press conference.

“I along with Governor Reynolds, Secretary Pate, and two Iowa Democrats signed the certificate declaring Miller-Meeks the winner,” said Naig. “Nancy Pelosi is wrong if she thinks it’s her job to choose who represents Iowa.”

Below is a video of the event provided by the Iowa GOP.